Fight Club on The Just A Mom Podcast: Real Talk About What Kids Are Actually Going Through

Kids are struggling. That's not a headline — it's something parents, teachers, and mentors feel every day. What's harder to find is a real answer. Not a program. Not a pamphlet. A place where kids can actually say what's going on and know they won't be judged for it.

Ryan Bevins and JP Claxton, founders of Fight Club, recently sat down with Susie Stapp Gurley on Episode 127 of The Just A Mom Podcast to talk about exactly that. They shared the story behind the movement, what makes it work, and where it's headed next. Susie built her platform after her youngest son came forward as a teenager about his battle with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. She missed the signs. Her podcast exists so other parents don't have to feel as alone as she did. It was the right room for this conversation.

What Fight Club Is and Why It Works

Fight Club was born from a simple but urgent realization: kids are struggling, and most of them don't know how to talk about it. Young men especially. They're carrying stress, anxiety, and isolation without the tools or the permission to name any of it. Fight Club gives them both.

The model is peer-led and intentionally adult-free during sharing. That's not an accident. When there are no adults in the room, something shifts. Teens stop performing and start being honest. They build trust with each other. They say the things they've never said out loud. And over time, they learn how to name and express their emotions, often for the very first time. Ryan and JP talked openly about their own journeys in learning to do the same — and those stories hit hard.

Fight Club now has 29 active groups and is still growing. Some members have taken it upon themselves to launch groups on their college campuses, carrying the mission forward on their own terms. That kind of ownership isn't a side effect of the model. It's the point.

Where the Movement Is Headed

Ryan and JP also shared two developments that mark a significant next chapter for Fight Club. First, Fight Club for girls has launched, led by Ryan's wife, expanding the movement so young women have the same space to get real and build their crew. Second, Fight Club has entered a new partnership with Kids TLC, a Kansas City inpatient mental health facility. Two licensed therapists now attend Fight Club meetings through that partnership, bringing the model into a preventive care space and connecting peer support with professional mental health resources in a meaningful way.

For Susie's audience — parents who are scared, parents watching their kids pull away and not knowing how to reach them — this episode offered something rare. Honest conversation. Realistic hope. And a reminder that the fight for the next generation isn't only happening in therapy offices or school counselor meetings. It's happening in rooms full of teenagers choosing to show up for each other.

Listen to the full episode below.

Fight Club is a space where young adults can openly talk about the issues they’re facing, without judgment or pressure. Have questions or want to learn more about Fight Club? We’re here to help. Whether you’re looking to join, a parent seeking more information, or someone interested in supporting our mission, don’t hesitate to reach out.‍